Piper PA28R200 accident near Decatur, Texas, May 30, 1983
On May 30, 1983 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA28R200, registered N41761, was destroyed in an accident near Decatur, Texas (Decatur Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1983 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Decatur, Texas · Decatur Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R200 · all PA28R200s on the register
- Registration
- N41761 · no longer on the register · serial 28R7435215
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING DUE TO POOR WX THE PILOT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING DURING WHICH HE WAS TOLD OF A LONG LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 150 MILES WIDE COVERING THE AREA IN WHICH HE WAS LOCATED. THE PILOT DEPARTED & THEN ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT AN AIRPORT 15 MILES AWAY IN GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS WITH LOW CEILINGS & RAIN. THE ACFT STALLED ON FINAL APCH & IMPACTED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 105 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,628 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 1983; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: C & M Aero Service
The flight
- Departed from: 1F9 Bridgeport TX
- Destination: RVS Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,550 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.